FUEL FOR THOUGHTMaking Nuclear Energy Greener

By Tim Echols

Today, everyone seems to be talking about carbon dioxide (CO2) and how to reduce it. Carbon-free energy sources are sought-after. Generous subsidies for wind and solar
especially, both federal and state, have contributed to their individual success in various parts of the world. But if the wind
is not blowing and the sun is not shining, green energy is not
created. That is where carbon-free nuclear energy comes to the
rescue. But in order to make it more “green and sustainable,”
we must take action rather than letting the used fuel sit on a
plant pad or be buried in the ground.

We put newspapers, milk cartons, aluminum cans, and all sorts of plastics on
the curb in front of our house each week, yet the best we can do with used fuel
is to bury it? We have in this country over 70,000 tons of used fuel stored at
more than 100 sites in 39 states, and our 98 commercial reactors produce about
2,000 additional tons of used fuel each year. Because we don’t recycle this nuclear
material, it would take nine Yucca Mountain repositories by the turn of the next
century to house all of the used fuel being produced. Getting one Yucca has proved
almost impossible, let alone nine.

Starting in 1990, the French did what the US backed away from—a commercial
recycling plant for used nuclear fuel. They took the uranium-filled fuel rods,
and figured out how to reuse 96 percent of the material, and how to do it safely.
By separating the uranium and plutonium from the fission products, they took
advantage of all the energy left in the material. More importantly, they turned the
remaining four percent waste into an inert glass product that requires minimum
security and safeguard protocols. If we did that here in the United States, it would
significantly reduce potential waste going into a Yucca Mountain and extend the
facility’s life.

So how is it that the United States would not want to do the same? Georgia Tech
Professor of Nuclear Engineering Nolan E. Hertel, a renowned expert, notes that
one result of the ban on nuclear recycling by President Carter, meant to prevent
nuclear proliferation, is more than 2,400 tons of nuclear waste being stored on-site
in Georgia.

In my opinion, the time has come for the nuclear energy industry to go greener and
make the electricity it generates even more sustainable. We need to demonstrate the
value of linking nuclear baseload and intermittent wind and solar. Here is how we
can do it.

First, let’s recognize the energy value of the used nuclear fuel we currentlydiscard. Did you know that our 70,000 tons of used fuel contains roughlyenough energy to power every household in American for 12 years? “Valuingused fuel against the cost of permanent burial is a calculation best done bythe companies that provide fuel management services,” says Jack Spencer ofthe Heritage Foundation. “Rightnow utilities have no incentive to doanything but store it.” This wouldrequire Congress to act.Second, complete the federalconstruction project called MOXProject (Mixed Oxide) at the SavannahRiver Site, near Augusta. This plant,modeled after processes currently usedin France at La Hague and Melox, willpermanently change surplus nuclearwarhead material into commercialnuclear reactor fuel. This reactorfuel could be used across the river atGeorgia’s Vogtle reactors with slightmodifications. The MOX Projectfacility is 70 percent complete, buthaphazard funding from Washingtonis dragging out the project. We needPresidential support for this funding.Third, recycling used nuclear fuelmakes sense in the long run. Thisrecycled material will be available ata discounted price compared to freshuranium fuel the utilities currentlybuy. Ratepayers and shareholders willbenefit from cheaper reactor fuel,especially in these times when lownatural gas prices are causing nuclearplants to be at a financial disadvantage.The cost of nine Yucca Mountainswill be astronomical, and recyclingdrastically reduces storage for theremaining 4 percent of used fuel.

Finally, let’s do the math. If we
continue to close coal plants, which
operate around the clock regardless
of weather, and we continue to add
intermittent energy sources like wind
and solar and their natural gas backup
generators, how are we going to reduce
our net CO2 emissions and provide the
reliability that businesses and ratepayers
expect? Nuclear energy is the answer, and
recycling makes it greener and sustainable.

Starting in 1990, the French did what the US backed away from—a
commercial recycling plant for used nuclear fuel.